


The Beginning of Us

by Valgus



Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Brief appearance of the Tachibanas Nagisa Rei and Rin., Drama, Historical References, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Terminal Illnesses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-21
Updated: 2015-09-21
Packaged: 2018-04-22 17:05:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4843424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Valgus/pseuds/Valgus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Hello. Aren’t you cold?”</p><p>“No, I live in this lake.”</p><p>Terminally ill high schooler Tachibana Makoto encountered a strange boy by the lake near to the sanatorium where he was admitted to.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Beginning of Us

“Hello. Aren’t you cold?”

“No, I live in this lake.”

Tachibana Makoto raised his eyebrows before releasing a small chuckle. He stood by the lake, covered in medical green shirt and pants under thick coat draping his wide shoulder. Just two steps in front of him was a boy, just about his age, probably also in high school, with wet black hair and clear blue eyes, staring up at Makoto with ponder.

“You live in this lake?” repeated Makoto, who smiled down upon the wet boy.

“Yes. I just said that,” he replied.

Makoto still smiled as he squatted down before the boy in the lake, “I see! My name is Makoto. I think I’ll go visit this lake often from now on.”

The water boy only blinked, muttered something that sounded like, “I’m Haruka” before swam away, leaving Makoto breathless as he watched the other boy glided effortlessly through the water.

*)*

When Makoto was told he was terminally ill, he only smiled at the young doctor in front of him. Her eyes were watery and Makoto suddenly understood that it was very hard for her to deliver such news to Makoto. Makoto smiled even wider for her and to his relief, she returned his smile.

Makoto was never really afraid of death or oblivion. What made his chest clenched in pain the most was the sight of his sobbing family and friends. His father didn’t even try not to cry while his twin siblings cried so hard they stained Makoto’s pants. His mother said nothing because she couldn’t stop crying.

His friends in school visited him at home before he was admitted to the sanatorium. Nagisa cried on his chest. Rei had to take off his glasses to wipe his tears. Rin didn’t look at Makoto as he wiped his eyes and cheeks.

“I’m alright, everyone. I’m feeling perfectly fine. Please don’t cry,” smiled Makoto.

To his surprise, his friend cried even more.

*)*

The sanatorium was big, clean, and looked a little worn-out because of age. Nevertheless, Makoto found the place endearing. As soon as he got there, he quickly became familiar with everyone and everything, from the staff to other patients, from the birds on the wood just outside the sanatorium to a mysterious boy by the lake.

The next day, Makoto returned to the water to see Haruka swimming around like a fish without scale once again. He seemed to plan to ignore Makoto, but eventually stopped swimming in front of Makoto after the olive-brown haired boy sat by the lake for the whole morning.

“Aren’t you afraid of me?” Haruka asked.

“Eh? Why should I be afraid of you, Haru?” Makoto raised his eyebrows.

Haruka scowled, “’Haru’?”

“Yes. Isn’t ‘Haru’ sounds beautiful?”

Haruka was still scowling, but he stayed floating in front of Makoto until Makoto left by the afternoon.

*)*

Nagisa and Rei visited Makoto a week after he arrived there. Nagisa brought him three melons, which Makoto wasn’t sure why or how would he eat them, while Rei brought him books and messages from everyone in school.

As Makoto browsed the book Rei brought (“How to Live When You’re Terminally Ill”, “Death: Questions and Answer”, “How to Find Eternal Peace, Even Before You Go: A Guide to Those Who are Terminally Ill”), Rei glanced outside Makoto’s window.

“Makoto-senpai, are patients allowed to go to the wood out there?” the bespectacled boy asked.

Makoto nodded, “Yes. I even went to the lake after the wood!”

“There’s a lake?” Nagisa jumped a little on his seat.

“Yes. It’s very quiet in there,” said Makoto, who wasn’t sure whether he wanted to talk about Haruka the water boy or not. However he looked at it, it was weird for a boy to live just on the lake by himself, never out of water as far as Makoto concerned. After the lake, there were only mountains and forests, which was why the sanatorium was built in such place.

“Ah… that unnamed lake?” Rei moved his glasses with his fingers. “Makoto-senpai, if I’m not mistaken, that lake is dangerous.”

Makoto’s smile froze. He could see Haru floating in front of him, his face wet with water and his blue eyes gleaming as he stared at Makoto.

_Aren’t you afraid of me?_

“Dangerous…?” repeated Makoto carefully.

Rei nodded, “Yes. I’ve heard that after the war, just when this sanatorium was built, there was a patient who liked to swim there. He was actually too ill to swim, but the ex-World War soldier said he spent too much time killing and not swimming at war and he wanted to have the rest of his life to swim now. Of course, he didn’t last…”

Nagisa pouted, “That’s so sad…”

Makoto listened in silence.

“But the scariest part, Makoto-senpai…” said Rei as Makoto shifted uncomfortably on his seat, “… was that the patient died in that lake. It was early morning when staff realized he wasn’t in the room. They looked for him in the lake immediately to see clothes strewn just outside the lake and him just floating, as if he just did his last lap or swim.”

Makoto gulped. Nagisa couldn’t even find anything to say.

“Now they say this patient haunted that lake and will try to lure anyone to swim with him. But don’t be fooled, because once anyone try to get into that lake, they will drown,” finished Rei.

Makoto said nothing. So far, Haru didn’t ask him to swim with him, so it was fine, right?

It’s fine… right?

*)*

It took Makoto three days before he returned to the lake one afternoon and he was immediately faced with scowling-faced Haru.

“Where did you go?” demanded the blue-eyed boy, his mouth slightly over the water.

“Ah, I’m sorry, Haru-chan. I don’t feel very good…” mumbled Makoto. It wasn’t exactly untrue, because he did feel bad about what happened with the dead patient.

“… Drop the ‘chan’,” grumbled Haru who sank his mouth underwater.

Makoto chuckled, “Forgive me.”

Haru looked at Makoto from head to toe before grumbling again, “Makoto.”

Makoto smiled at his strange, water-loving friend, “Yes…?”

Haru swam and rested his arms by the ground while the rest of his body was still in the water, “Do you think you can swim with me?”

*)*

It was cold at that time of the year, yet the water felt pleasantly warm. Makoto had took off everything but his trusty old boxers, one of the things he brought here to the sanatorium with him. Unlike his mobile phone and watch, who were now forever waiting for its master that probably would never return in his bedroom back by the house, Makoto felt happily reminded to the time when he was just another healthy high school student in twenty-first century Japan.

Makoto swam on his back slowly while Haru glided next to him. Makoto had never seen Haru this close. He looked relaxed in the water and sometime Makoto saw him smile after he did a whole lap along the edge of the lake.

When the sun started to set, Makoto looked up at the sky, before calling, “Haru!”

Haru swam to his side.

“I have to go back. It’s going to be dark soon,” Makoto said.

Haru only nodded and helped Makoto get out of the lake. Makoto shivered once he emerged from the water. He quickly put on his clothes and planned a warm bath once he got back to the sanatorium.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Haru,” smiled Makoto.

Haru scowled and swam away.

*)*

The staff who usually delivered Makoto’s dinner was named Yamazaki, though he preferred for Makoto to call him “just Sousuke”. Sousuke noticed that Makoto took his extra time in the bath and he put the dinner in front of Makoto as he coughed.

“Makoto, did you go somewhere today?” he asked.

“Yes, I went to the lake. It’s really beautiful in there.”

Sousuke huffed, “That place is dangerous.”

Makoto said nothing.

“What if you tripped and fall down? Who will help you?” continued Sousuke, to Makoto’s relief.

“I can swim,” smiled Makoto reassuringly to Sousuke who raised one brow.

“I’m just warning you,” Sousuke shrugged. “Beside, you don’t want that haunted lake’s ghost to do bad things to you, do you?”

Sousuke left and Makoto thought about how he knew Haru would never do anything that Makoto didn’t like.

*)*

Just the next morning, when the sun raised high enough and it was warm enough for Makoto to leave the sanatorium, he went to the lake immediately. Makoto didn’t feel too well that morning and he had to let go most of his breakfast because he couldn’t stomach anything.

Haru was swimming as usual, gliding through the water to greet Makoto. Makoto had noticed Haru’s old-fashioned short pants. Makoto smiled at Haru and waved the small towel he hid inside his coat, “Look what I brought today, Haru-chan! This way, I won’t be too damp when I go back.”

Haru didn’t corrected Makoto this time.

*)*

Though his body felt achingly tired, Makoto still went to the water to swim with Haru, even though Makoto was on his back while Haru preferred freestyle. When the sun was right above their head, they both floated on their back, watching the sky in silence.

“Makoto,” called Haru.

“Yes?” Makoto glanced at Haru.

“What time is it?” asked Haru.

Makoto raised his eyebrows, “Maybe about twelve.”

Haru sighed, “I mean year. What year is it?”

Makoto went silent for a beat before answering, “It’s 2015.”

Haru went silent for a while, before muttering, “It has been sixty years.”

Makoto said nothing, waiting.

“It has been sixty years since I’m alone on this lake,” he continued, glancing slightly at Makoto, who found nothing to say. “No one has ever come here. Even when they do, they leave right away. I think they must think that I’m weird… Makoto, is it so weird for me to love swimming so much?”

Makoto chuckled before giving his widest smile to Haru, “Absolutely not. Haru, you swim so beautifully! I really like seeing you swimming.”

Haru said nothing, but Makoto believed he saw a smile on Haru’s lips.

“It has been sixty years, huh…” mumbled Haru. “Has there been any war in Japan in those sixty years?”

Makoto shook his head.

Haru’s smile was as clear as the sky above them when he heard that, “That’s good, Makoto. That’s really good. I don’t like war. I’m so glad you never have to experience it. I’d like to think that what I did back then in the war was something I did because I want better future for this world… but I’m never so sure. So I just swim and hope for the best.”

Makoto was watching Haru the whole time. When Haru looked like he was finished, Makoto lifted his back from water and cupped Haru’s face with one hand.

Haru’s lips and tongue tasted like water.

But to Makoto, it tasted more like time.

*)*

“Makoto, I really don’t think you should visit the lake anymore,” pouted Sousuke as he gave Makoto his dinner.

Makoto only made weak smile and chuckled. His health deteriorated so fast lately that the sanatorium had to rang his parent. As Makoto grew weaker, his time on the lake grew longer.

*)*

Floating by Haru side again, Makoto mumbled, “Haru…”

“Yeah?”

“Is it painful?” Makoto opened his mouth, but the rest of his words didn’t come out. _You know, when you’re dead?_

But strangely, Haru seemed to understand, “Not really. It feels weird, but then you feel okay. I feel okay.”

Makoto smiled, “I’m sorry I can’t be in the water too long lately.”

Haru shook his head, “You don’t even have to come visit me everyday, yet you do.”

Makoto chuckled, “It’s because you look so lonely swimming alone, Haru…”

Haru looked at Makoto. He smiled and Makoto felt like his heart was bursting with confetti and fireworks.

When Makoto finally descended out of the water by the early sunset, Haru muttered to the fully-clothed male, “Makoto.”

“Yes?”

“You have nothing to fear,” Haru said.

Makoto nodded and left.

*)*

The first snow finally fell that night, after Haru told Makoto that Makoto had nothing to fear.

The next day, Makoto returned to the lake. He let go of his sanatorium uniform in medical green and he was on his jeans and shirt when Haru swam at his sight.

Haru raised his eyebrows at Makoto’s clothes. “You look weird,” he commented.

Makoto chuckled, “Well, this is how I usually dress when I’m healthy.”

Haru’s mouth was hanging open, “Oh. So that means…”

Makoto smiled, looking down at Haru, and nodded, “Yes.”

Haru smiled back and his eyes seemed more watery than before.

Makoto stepped inside the lake without taking off his clothes, but they seemed to melt as he touched the water, embracing Haru with his arms, their lips hugging each other.

“Welcome home, Makoto,” said Haru, wet and warm against him.

Makoto smiled, “I’m home, Haru.”

*)*

At night in the sanatorium, Sousuke took the bed sheet off Makoto’s former bed. Now that the patient wouldn’t need it anymore, Sousuke also cleaned the rest of the room, picking up the rest of Makoto's clothes and a small towel by a large coat.

Then he turned off the light and closed the door to the dark, empty room.

**Author's Note:**

> I was browsing forest and lake pictures for wallpaper when I thought about MakoHaru... (I always do, to be honest), then I think of different-generation, slightly-angst, and a little fantasical MakoHaru.
> 
> So this is the result. I hope you enjoyed what you read.
> 
> I guess you can say that now Makoto is very much happy together with Haru and that Rei, Nagisa, and Rin could sense that their friend has find his eternal peace... (maybe you can imagine them visit the lake or something).
> 
> Thank you for reading.


End file.
